Away from the Sun

This article is about the album. For the 2004 single from the same album, see Away from the Sun (song).
Away from the Sun
Studio album by
3 Doors Down
ReleasedNovember 12, 2002
Recorded2002
Studio
Genre
Length41:36
LabelUniversal
ProducerRick Parashar
3 Doors Down chronology
The Better Life
(2000) 		Away from the Sun
(2002) 		Another 700 Miles
(2003)
Singles from Away from the Sun
  1. "When I'm Gone"
    Released: September 23, 2002[1]
  2. "The Road I'm On"
    Released: March 17, 2003[2]
  3. "Here Without You"
    Released: July 28, 2003[3]
  4. "Away from the Sun"
    Released: January 12, 2004[4]

Away from the Sun is the second studio album by American rock band 3 Doors Down, released by Universal Records on November 12, 2002. Three of its four singles—"When I'm Gone", "Here Without You", and "Away from the Sun"—entered the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at numbers four, five, and 62, respectively. The album received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 4, 2006.[5]

Recording

The Away from the Sun recording sessions took place during the summer of 2002 with producer and engineer Rick Parashar at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington. Alex Lifeson, guitarist for the Canadian rock band Rush, performed live with 3 Doors Down in Biloxi, Mississippi during the premiere party for Away from the Sun.[citation needed] The album has sold eight million copies worldwide, including over four million in the US alone.[6][7]

A two-disc Limited Edition version of the album was released in 2002 with a bonus DVD that included live video footage of the band, a behind-the-scenes "Making of" video about the album, 5.1 audio recordings of the songs "Dangerous Game" and "When I'm Gone", and the music videos "Kryptonite," "Loser," "Duck and Run," and "Be Like That" from the band's 2000 debut album The Better Life.[8]

In September 2023, vocalist Brad Arnold said about Away from the Sun:

I think it will always be my favorite record of ours that we made. There were just a lot of emotions I had that were ready to come out.[9]

DualDisc version

Away from the Sun was included among a group of 15 DualDisc releases that were test marketed in two cities: Boston, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington. The test market DualDisc version of the album is rare. In 2005, the DualDisc version was reissued in a more widely distributed version. The original test market version differs from this common version in both packaging elements and in the design of the back of the inlay card.

The DualDisc has the standard CD album on one side and a DVD-Audio/DVD-Video on the second side. The DVD-Audio portion contains the entire album in advanced resolution 5.1 PCM surround sound and 2.0 PCM stereo. The PCM audio was recorded at 96 kHz and 24bit for both audio tracks, but the 5.1 audio track is at 13,824 kbit/s and the 2.0 audio track is at 4,608 kbit/s. Special features for the DVD-Audio include the band's biography, a photo gallery, and lyrics for all the tracks except "This Time". The DVD-Video portion contains the entire album in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo. The DVD side also features the music video for the single "The Road I'm On" directed by The Malloys.

2023 Deluxe Edition

Away from the Sun: Deluxe Edition, a remastered version of the album with ten bonus tracks, was released on August 11, 2023.[10] The extra songs include early studio recordings of "Dangerous Game," "Dead Love," and "Wasted Me," a live early recording of "When I'm Gone," a demo version of "Here Without You," a cover of "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (from the U.S. "The Road I'm On" single), "Living a Lie" (from the Australian and European versions of the "When I'm Gone" single), the previously released bonus tracks "This Time" and "Pop Song," a re-recorded version of the band's 1997 demo track "Man in My Mind" titled "Something in My Mind," and the exclusive song "Long Day."

Track listing

All songs written by 3 Doors Down except "Dangerous Game" and "Sarah Yellin'" by Arnold, Roberts and Harrell, and "That Smell" by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

No.TitleLength
1."When I'm Gone[a][c][d][e]"4:21
2."Away from the Sun[c][d]"3:53
3."The Road I'm On"3:59
4."Ticket to Heaven"3:27
5."Running Out of Days"3:30
6."Here Without You[a][b][c][d][e]"3:58
7."I Feel You"4:07
8."Dangerous Game"3:35
9."Changes"3:56
10."Going Down in Flames"3:28
11."Sarah Yellin'"3:17
Total length:41:36
a live recording appears on Another 700 Miles EP (2003)
b acoustic recording appears on Acoustic EP (2005)
c appears on A Six Pack of Hits compilation (2008)
d remixed remaster appears on The Greatest Hits compilation (2012)
e acoustic recording appears on Back Porch Jam (2019)


Hidden bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."This Time" (song plays after 29 seconds of silence)5:18
Total length:46:55
Japanese edition
No.TitleLength
12."Pop Song" (bonus track)3:11
13."This Time" (hidden track)4:50
UK special edition
No.TitleLength
12."Pop Song" (bonus track)3:11
13."Kryptonite" (from The Better Life)3:54
14."This Time" (hidden track)4:50
2002 Limited Edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."live" (video) 
2."Kryptonite" (music video) 
3."Loser" (music video) 
4."Duck and Run" (music video) 
5."Be Like That" (music video) 
6."The Making of Away from the Sun" 
7."Dangerous Game" (5.1 audio) 
8."When I'm Gone" (5.1 audio) 
2023 digital Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."This Time" 4:50
13."Long Day" 3:38
14."That Smell" (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover)
5:48
15."Something in My Mind" 3:18
16."Living a Lie" 3:34
17."Pop Song" 3:10
18."Dangerous Game" (Early version) 3:59
19."Dead Love" (Early version) 3:05
20."Wasted Me" (Early version) 3:09
21."Here Without You" (Demo) 3:45
22."When I'm Gone" (Live early version) 4:01
Total length:83:53

Music videos

  1. "When I'm Gone" (two versions)[11]
  2. "The Road I'm On"
  3. "Here Without You"
  4. "Away from the Sun"
  5. "Pop Song"

Personnel

3 Doors Down

  • Brad Arnold – lead vocals
  • Matt Roberts – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Chris Henderson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Todd Harrell – bass guitar

Additional musicians

Production

  • Zach Blackstone – assistant
  • David Campbell – string arrangements, orchestral arrangement, string conductor, concertmaster
  • Sandy Brummels – creative director
  • Steve Churchyard – engineer
  • Joel Derouin – concertmaster
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • David Hathaway – butterfly image (courtesy of NASA/NSSTC)
  • Suzie Katayama – orchestra manager
  • Dean Maher – engineer, digital editing, mixing assistant
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Frank Ockenfels – photography
  • Geoff Ott – engineer, digital editing, overdub engineer
  • Rick Parashar – producer, engineer, digital editing
  • Bill Richards – product manager
  • Paul Silveira – mixing assistant
  • Honchol Sin – assistant engineer, assistant
  • Gordon Sran – assistant, overdub assistant
  • Randy Staub – mixing
  • Tom Sweeney – assistant engineer, assistant
  • Latif Tayour – assistant engineer, assistant, overdub assistant
  • Karen Walker – art direction, design

Limited Edition DVD

  • Jeff Panzer – director ("Live")
  • L2 Digital – production company ("Live")
  • Lennon Golden – producer ("Live")
  • Enid Zentelis – director and producer ("The Making of Away from the Sun")
  • EZ Entertainment – production company ("The Making of Away from the Sun")
  • Tom Derr – product manager
  • Tom Mackay – A&R
  • Kevin Flynn, Brian Holzknecht – graphics, motion menus
  • Charlie Holzknecht – author, encoding at L2 Digital (Burbank, California)

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Entertainment WeeklyC[13]
musicOMHmixed[14]
Rolling Stonemixed[15]

As with their debut album, critical reception of Away from the Sun remained generally mixed. Praise came from its earnesty and raw aggression, while its lyrical themes were disparaged for being too morbid, depressing, or otherwise "self-pitying". Bob Waliszewski of the website PluggedIn wrote that "Unlike the band’s last disc, this one views hard times with less melancholy and more ambition to affect change. Away From the Sun offers 3DD fans a ray of hope, yet gets burned by a few disappointing turns".[16]

Johnny Lofton of AllMusic gave album three out of five stars, saying: "the band doesn't yet have the hooks to remain consistently interesting for an entire album. Besides the unstoppable melody of the title track, and 'Ticket to Heaven,' which shows some real songwriting depth in comparison to the band's debut, many of Away from the Sun's 11 tracks sound too similar. It's an accomplished, often rocking, and sometimes genuinely emotional set, but there just isn't enough variety to sustain it."[17]

Independent music website Music Immortal wrote in a retrospective 2009 review: "Something tells me this album came from a very low, depressed place. A lot of the songs on the album speak of loneliness or emptiness, and its definitely one of those albums you would turn on when you want to be reminded that others feel the same way sometimes."[18]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Away from the Sun
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[38] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Platinum 100,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[40] Gold 25,000^
Germany (BVMI)[41] Gold 150,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Silver 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[44] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1471. September 20, 2002. p. 33.
  2. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1495. March 14, 2003. p. 26.
  3. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1514. July 25, 2003. p. 22.
  4. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1537. January 9, 2004. p. 24.
  5. ^ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  6. ^ [1] Archived September 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com. 2009-12-31. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  8. ^ "Away From The Sun". Discogs. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  9. ^ "INTERVIEW – BRAD ARNOLD OF 3 DOORS DOWN TALKS AWAY FROM THE SUN + MORE". Cryptic Rock. September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  10. ^ "3 Doors Down Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Away From The Sun With a Deluxe Digital Release---Available Now". www.businesswire.com.
  11. ^ "3 Doors Down hit no.1 on Billboard Top 40 With 'When I'm Gone'". Business Wire. 22 April 2003. ProQuest 444911553.
  12. ^ allmusic review
  13. ^ "Entertainment Weekly review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-05-16. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  14. ^ musicOMH review
  15. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2012-09-09.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ "Away From the Sun". Plugged In. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  17. ^ Away From the Sun - 3 Doors Down | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-10-10
  18. ^ "Away From The Sun -3 Doors Down Album Review". musicisimmortal.weebly.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  19. ^ "Australiancharts.com – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  20. ^ "Austriancharts.at – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  22. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  25. ^ "Charts.nz – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  26. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – 3 Doors Down – Away from the Sun". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  28. ^ "3 Doors Down Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  29. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Metal Albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  31. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  32. ^ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2003" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  33. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2004". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  35. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2004" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  36. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  37. ^ "Decade End Charts – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. 2009. Archived from the original on 4 February 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  38. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  39. ^ "Canadian album certifications – 3 Doors Down – Away From The Sun". Music Canada. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  40. ^ "Guld og platin i 2004". IFPI Denmark (in Danish). Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  41. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (3 Doors Down; 'Away From the Sun')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  42. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – 3 Doors Down – Away From The Sun". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – 3 Doors Down – Away From The Sun". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – 3 Doors Down – Away From The Sun". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 29, 2020.